Madog ap Gruffudd, or Madog ap Gruffudd Maelor, was Prince of
Powys Fadog from 1191 to 1236 in north-east
Wales.
Early life
He was elder son of Prince
Gruffydd Maelor and his wife, Angharad, a daughter of King
Owain Gwynedd. He succeeded his father jointly with his brother, Owen, in 1191 and on Owen's death in 1197 became the sole ruler of Powys north of the
River Rhaeadr
The River Rhaeadr ( cy, Afon Rhaeadr) is a river in Wales.
It starts at the Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall a few miles from the village of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, where the Afon Disgynfa falls over a 240-foot (73 m) cliff-face, after which the ri ...
and the
Afon Tanat.
Madog consolidated the possessions of his father, Prince
Gruffudd Maelor, and the territory he ruled became known as ''
Powys Fadog'' in his honour, the remainder of the old kingdom formed
Powys Wenwynwyn. (''Fadog'' is a gender mutation of his name, ''Madog''.) After his death in 1236, this area—comprising Welsh and English
Maelor,
Ial,
Cynllaith,
Nanheudwy and
Mochnant Is Rhaeadr—was still referred to as Powys Fadog although it was divided up between his five sons.
[
Madog was close to his cousin, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, initially, but gradually distanced himself and also kept aloof from 1212 when his cousin had managed to reform the Welsh Confederacy and looked instead to King John of England, in whose pay he was, as an official ally of the English king. By 1215 he decided to ally with his cousin and remained so.
]
Establishment of and burial at Valle Crucis Abbey
On 28 January 1201, Madog founded the Cistercian abbey of Valle Crucis Abbey, Llangollen, Wales. The abbey was founded with monks from nearby Strata Marcella abbey. He is buried at Valle Crucis Abbey in the abbey church, as are several of Madog's descendants. The exact site of his burial is unknown.[D.H. Evans BA, FSA - Valle Crucis Abbey (2008)]
He is either a great-grandfather or great-great-great-grandfather of Owain Glyndŵr
Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...
.
Marriage and children
He had married Esyllt (Isolda). He had issue:
* Gruffudd Maelor II Gruffydd Maelor II (died 1269) was Prince of Powys Fadog.
Lineage
He was the eldest son of Prince Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor and inherited his father's lands and title in partial succession along with his four brothers Gruffydd Ial, Maredudd, Hywe ...
, who succeeded his father,
* Gruffudd Iâl, died 1238
* Maredudd, died 1256
* Hywel, died 1268
* Madog Fychan, died 1269
* Angharad.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madog Ap Gruffydd Maelor
1236 deaths
Monarchs of Powys
12th-century Welsh monarchs
13th-century Welsh monarchs
Year of birth unknown
The Lordship of Bromfield and Yale